The Bulgarian nuclear industry canceled a plan to transport nuclear waste to Russia in December. In autumn 1998, the intergovernmental agreement for the nuclear waste shipments was protested in Russia, Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova, the countries that signed the agreement, which includes shipments and reprocessing of radioactive waste. Environmentalists said the agreement by the governments promotes nuclear proliferation, plutonium production and an increased risk of nuclear accidents.
More than 200 environmental groups from every corner of the globe signed an appeal to the authorities of the involved countries asking them to cancel the plan to ship nuclear waste. Bulgarian and Russian environmental groups presented the appeal to various parliaments.
Bulgarian officials said the shipment was canceled because the Moldovian parliament was opposed to it. Alternative routes for the shipment from Bulgaria to Russia, through Romania and Ukraine, haven't been developed.
"Shipment of nuclear waste presents serious danger to the environment and people," said Polina Kireva of the Bulgarian environmental group Za Zemyata. "Not only this shipment of nuclear waste must be canceled but all of the shipments planned for the future. The waste should not move through the borders. No countries must send their waste to neighbors," she added.